Whenever the glorious date of July 26 approaches, its evocation inevitably leads us to count. Sometimes we took the epic of the fact; others, the fruit of the seed planted that day.
Sometimes the fallen heroes; others heroes who survived. Many facts are well known; others, although published, they are less known, especially by the modesty of its protagonists.
On the anniversary 62 of the Morning Santa Ana, I share with the readers of Sierra Maestra memories yesterday, at the time and after the match, the now First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Councils of State Yde Ministers, Army General Raul Castro Ruz.
At the first anniversary of the assault, from the prison of the then Isle of Pines, Raul wrote his memories on the 24th, 25th and 26th July 1953. The mere reading of these notes is a lesson in patriotism, firmness and delivery Total to a cause. Let the reader judge.
The drama of the day before, 24 and 25, is impressive. Contacts with Pedro Miret Prieto and José Luis Tasende of the Dolls, his immediate boss. "Since I had no doubt: the" zero hour, "as we used to say, he is fast approaching."
The last phone call Tasende, at 8 pm -24 July-
"Pointing that will bring me with him at point" L "(Lester Rodriguez house near the University), immediately addressing the point indicated where, Tasende, picked up the last shipment of guns, heading to the train station, taking the central train to East. Miret, Crespo and Lester had gone another way. At the railway station we met sixteen comrades, all subordinate to partner Tasende ".
The tension of the trip. "Nothing we sleep on the trip, the dawn of that hot Saturday presented with that calm that precedes great events (Actually it was a morning like any other, but to me it occurred to me that this was different)" In the car dining room where going to lunch group individually as if we did not know, except Tasende and we got together to take the train and therefore also went to eat something together, there he informed me of the goal ...
The news known on rails, was a logical reaction to the young Raul, narrated by him naturally.
"I was paralyzed stomach and appetite disappears, I knew the magnitude and strength of this goal by studying in Santiago de Cuba for several years. Tasende'come told me laughing, Raulito, tomorrow you will not have time' I was taking only small sips of beer. During the trip everything looked eagerly aroused that feeling last. I infinitely glad to see those places known to me, and especially the theater of events would be east, my homeland. "
The arrival in Santiago de Cuba in the afternoon, the welcome by Abel Santamaria and Renato Guitart, lodging in the Hotel Perla de Cuba, the fleeting stay at this facility ... "There we deal in a first-floor shacks, and while some patiently waiting their turn to wash up a bit, using the only sink was on the floor, others we threw us on the beds to rest a while.
"Around seven in the evening we went to the hotel restaurant where the diligent Abel Santamaria was ordered to prepare delicious rice with chicken, there, over drinks, laughter and music, celebrating the carnival some Santiago".
His classmates remember about "happy faces, serene, determined, that had nothing to do with the Carnival". After the food, room and wait for the pick.
Pending the combat. "Each small room had only a bed and touched me where I lay me with clothes and shoes and with both hands behind his head, staring at the high ceiling of the old hotel and a head full of thoughts expected to elapse the slowest of my life "minutes.
Amid the drama of waiting, the episode of the Spanish and the prostitute, heard from your room ... love the words of disagreement followed the man for the high price of the service.
In his evocation, a sad note: "Of the 18 that we were that group, in front of which came Tasende mate, I think only three came back alive."
On the threshold of the zero hour. "As they spent the first hours of the night continued to develop with increasing intensity the Santiago carnival. With hides sounded frantic pace of the drums when, next and midnight, a partner link our makeshift headquarters, located on the road between Santiago and Siboney appeared; Fidel sent us to look. Minutes later we met with him and other colleagues, was coming to an end on Saturday July 25 and within minutes begin a new day, Sunday July 26, 1953 ". Until he started fighting.
"The rest of the story as we all know, a few hours later stopped talking drums to be silenced by the language: In June 1963, Raul, in a document published by the magazine Bohemia, these memories which appear affirm the first shots that started a new stage in the process of struggles of our people. " "He stopped running the drink to make way for the blood of the first young restless falling against the towering walls of the Moncada. With that first shed blood, it would initiate the correct and fundamental method of struggle of our people to destroy the scaffolding, in final form, the existing economic, political and social system in our country. "
How far we were all to imagine, at that moment, during that dawn on July 26, had begun the beginning of the end of capitalism in Cuba! ... So said Raul at that time.
Raul during the attack. We use the notes of the writer and journalist Katiuska Blanco, appeared in the book Fidel Castro Ruz, guerrilla time, Revolution reproduced by the Bulletin of the Historical Affairs Office of the State Council, the anniversary 60 of 26 July 1953.
Historical truth is that Raul Moncada was a soldier, not a boss. His action was developed in the Palace of Justice, Lester Rodriguez Perez as head of a group composed of six fighters.
On reaching the place assigned, Raul is the first out of the car and an armed out of a gun. He disarmed after. He meets an unarmed serene and asks if there were more guards there. This affirmative replies and tells where they are. Shoot down the door with a kick, the guards took away revolvers and rifles and left locked.
Then he climbed to the roof, since fought, leading to the Moncada shots. From his position, he refused to shoot a soldier who had his back, although it soon after, firing at him. In that position, along with other colleagues, he remained until the withdrawal began. "You go down, I'll stay," he told the others. His descent did by an elevator.
The precise writer to reach the lobby, six armed guards with machine guns and other rifles pointing guns at Thompson Lester and the other young assailants. Raul chief disarmed the guards and ordered them to lie on the ground, which obeyed while they disarmed the assailants. The soldiers were taken and locked together with the above.
In those moments Raul, not by choice, but by his attitude and action, between enemies and bullets, had become head of the small group, which dutifully abiding by his orders. Said withdrawal. Then the group dispersed to facilitate evade the minions of tyranny.
Besides Raul and Lester, integrated the group of assailants at Courthouse Darmau Mario de la Cruz, Abelardo García YLLs Jose Ramon Martinez Alvarez and Angel Sanchez Perez.
After the assault, It is known that Raul was taken prisoner near San Luis, trying to reach his home in Biran, and taken to the bivouac of Santiago de Cuba, where he revealed his identity and participation in Moncada. At that time, believing killed Fidel, assumed management responsibility for the attack.
Then it came the Day of Judgment. Also sobering moments, collected in the book Moncada trial of journalist and writer Marta Roja
Raul's statements were clear and precise. When asked by the prosecutor about when he had embullado his brother Fidel to participate in preparing the revolution, he replied with conviction: "If it was because my brother Fidel encourages me, had not come, because he never did. I came to Santiago on his own resolution. I had to walk very light so that it would allow me to take up arms to see if we change this system. "
Actually, Raul needed for the defense of Jose Luis Tasende to join the action of the Moncada. Fidel wanted to be sure he did it out of conviction and not merely to follow his brother. But Raul had already reached and own revolutionary political dimensions.
This is demonstrated by another response to the prosecutor during the trial, about which system had referred the program and give the land to the peasants.
"We had to destroy this government first, then clean up the country and make progress as it should; when I declared at the bivouac, I referred to the agrarian reform as one of the tenets of this revolution, but not as you say give land to the peasants, it's more than that, it is to give the land and making it productive; the system is bad from the start of the Republic; Cuba is full of illiterate people, injustices are committed, they are robbed of the money to the people. You had to topple the regime to initiate the Revolution, as Fidel said in his first appearance for trial, Revolution is the one that wanted Martí and Maceo, that of our mambises ... But there is brought closer to Fidel, seems to fear, fear what he preaches garment in the village, because predendería if I could communicate with the people; the people feel these things, but have not been given the opportunity to express it. "
When asked if shot during the action, his answer came as fast as bullets own:
"Yes, I shot! I knocked shot the door to the roof of this same courthouse ... this was the position I was assigned ... as the door said knocked dead and yet, when I got the paraffin test, was negative. "
His statement went further questioning "How not to ask me what I did with the men who stopped here in the audience, many of them disarming? I had to lock up some in a showcase and when we left they opened the door so as not to suffocate, because they came here to kill soldiers or enemies, for pleasure; our mission was another "
On that view, I spoke once with Dr. Baudilio Castellanos. I inquired about one of his meeting with Raul, still prisoner, to prepare a defense.
Baudilio defined so: "During the month of August as the assailants being held in the prison of Sweet potato, I went to it, interviewing the captain Pellecier Yanez, who had been sent by General Tabernilla as auditor of sweet potato to name from army. I asked to meet with Fidel and I replied that he was held incommunicado, so I asked to see Raul. We fitted out a small table and two chairs, remaining standing Sergeant Ramos, making it virtually impossible annoying and the interview in order to prepare the defense strategy.
"In view of that Ramos remained motionless, Raul began to explain, before my requirements give us the guidelines to prepare the defense, they had come and had failed, but next time would come and then were sure would come up trumps . Given the tense dialogue, Sergeant Ramos chose to get away from us and let us talk confidentially ".
"Raul told us that the orientation for the defense was clear: they confess their participation, denounce the crimes committed against their peers and attack the dictatorship. Raul I explained that there were cases of defendants who had participated as combatants, who had been arrested and tortured in Havana and also sent to Santiago and saw a chance for them to technically achieve his acquittal. Raul agreed in certain cases to try to win their freedom to thus may have a group of comrades on the street that were useful to the guidance of Fidel. But fundamentally, the defense must behave as he had already said. "
The rest of this story of struggle and combat Raul is best known. At trial he was sentenced to 13 years in prison and sent, along with a group of assailants, the so-called Presidio Modelo, the Isle of Pines, now the Isle of Youth once.
By popular pressure, with Fidel and his companions he was amnestied on 15 May 1955. The following month had to go into exile in Mexico, because his life was in danger in Cuba, where he had been accused of terrorism.
On December 2, 1956, with the rank of Captain and rear platoon leader, he landed on the yacht Granma, to restart the armed struggle and fight for the company explained during the Moncada trial.
After the setback of Alegría de Pío three days after landing, he evaded the siege of tyranny and met with Fidel, the 18th, in Cinco Palmas to continue the war in the Sierra Maestra.
For its qualities was promoted to Commander of the Rebel Army on February 27, 1958 and appointed head of the Column 6 Frank Pais, responsible for opening in the eastern north, the Second Eastern Front Frank País force that led to the revolutionary victory First of January 1959.
Now, 62 years after the glorious dawn of the Moncada, Raul will be in the same stage of the action which he said began the end of capitalism in Cuba. Next to him will be the people redeemed by vigilantes shooting July 26, 1953. With him, with Fidel, the Party, the revolution, socialism and internationalism.